A fireless locomotive is a type of locomotive which uses reciprocating engines powered from a reservoir of compressed air or steam, which is filled at intervals from an external source. They offer advantages over conventional steam locomotives of lower cost per unit, cleanliness, and decreased risk from fire or boiler explosion; these are counterbalanced by the need for a source to refill the locomotive, and by the limited range afforded by the reservoir.

Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. are a builder of steam and later fireless and diesel locomotives. The company's history dates to foundation of an engineering workshop in 1840 in Kilmarnock, Scotland.  After a long period of operation the company was acquired by the Hunslet group in 1972 and renamed Hunslet-Barclay, as of 2012 the company still operates in Kilmarnock providing rail engineering services as Wabtec Rail Scotland.

The Stafford locomotive construction company started in 1875 when William Gordon Bagnall took over the millwright business of Massey and Hill.  The first railway locomotive was built the following year. The majority of their products were small four and six-coupled steam locomotives for industrial use.  In addition to building locomotives to designs produced by W G Bagnall the company also built engines as contractors to organisations who had designed them. This included designs produced by the GWR and the LMS.